John
20:22-23 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and
said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any,
they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

2
Cor 5:17-20 Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new
creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from
God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,
not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of
reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through
us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

James
5:16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for
one another, that you may be healed.

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WHAT DID
THE CHURCH FATHERS SAY ABOUT CONFESSION?

St.
CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE (c. 250 AD)Of
how much greater faith and salutary fear are they who...confess
their sins to the priests of God in a straightforward manner and in
sorrow, making an open declaration of conscience....Indeed, he but sins the more
if, thinking that God is like man, he believes that he can escape the punishment
of his crime by not openly admitting his crime....I beseech you, brethren, let
everyone who has sinned confess his sin while he is still in this world,
while his confession is still admissible, while the satisfaction and
remission made through the priest are still pleasing before the Lord.
(The Lapsed 28)

St.
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM (c. 387 AD)Priests
have received a power which God has given neither to angels nor to archangels.
It was said to them: "Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose, shall be loosed" [Matt 18:18].
Temporal rulers have indeed the power of binding; but they can only bind the
body. Priests, in contrast, can bind with a bond which pertains to the soul
itself and transcends the very heavens. Did [God] not give them all the powers
of heaven? Whose sins you shall forgive," he says, "they are
forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained" [John
20:23]. What greater power is there than this? The Father has given all judgment
to the Son. And now I see the Son placing all this power in the hands of men
[cf. Matt 9:8; 10:40; John 20:21]. (The Priesthood3:5)

St.
AUGUSTINE(c. 395 AD)When
you shall have been baptized, keep to a good life in the commandments of God so
that you may preserve your baptism to the very end. I do not tell you that you
will live here without sin, but they are venial sins which this life is never
without. Baptism was instituted for all sins. For light sins, without which we
cannot live, prayer was instituted....But do not commit those sins on account of
which you would have to be separated from the body of Christ. Perish the
thought! For those whom you see doing penance have committed crimes, either
adultery or some other enormities. That is why they are doing penance. If their
sins were light, daily prayer would suffice to blot them out....In the Church,
therefore, there are three ways in which sins are forgiven: in baptisms, in
prayer, and in the greater humility of penance. (Sermon to Catechumens on the
Creed7:15; 8:16).

1. There are many beautiful Act of
Contrition prayers. Why not take the time to familiarize yourself with one of
them and recite it nightly after a prayerful examination of conscience.Here is one Act
of Contrition for starters

2. Fitting Confession into our busy
lives take pre-planning. Check the parish Confession schedule well in advance,
and make a note of it on your calendar. If your home parish does not offer
times when you are available, check the Confession schedule at a neighboring
parish. Confession schedules at most churches are listed with www.masstimes.org

3. Come up with a plan. If a sin is
an ongoing problem for us, we must devise concrete ways to avoid it. How can
we avoid the near occasions of sin? If we must spend time in a location or
with a group of people that has contributed to our sinning in the past, pray
intensely beforehand. Figure out an exit plan. If we are tempted to gossip,
leave the room. Change the subject. Stuff our mouths with food. Do anything
but sin. When we hurt others by deed or word, we offend the Lord and add to
His Cross.

4. Upon leaving the Confession
booth, thank God for his great mercy. We are forgiven for everything. We
dont deserve it.

O my God, I am heartily
sorry for having offended you, and I detest all my sins, because of Your just
punishments, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all-good
and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace,
to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.